


wow and flutter

by chroniko



Category: EXO (Band), SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-04-21 11:14:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14283702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chroniko/pseuds/chroniko
Summary: At the end of the day, it’s all Chanyeol’s fault.





	1. change up

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt #:**  66  
>  **Prompt:**   "Single Father Sehun and Pet Cafe Owner Jeonghan"
> 
> Sehun’s daughter loves to bring their dog Vivi at this cute Pet Cafe near their house. He doesn’t know why his precious daughter keeps on going back to that place after her Uncle Chanyeol brought her to eat some cake. His daughter said it was because of the very handsome owner that she met.
> 
> Sehun is now having a hard time with his own daughter because she wants to go and meet the owner (that’s now also called uncle) again.
> 
> It’s Chanyeol’s fault for bringing his daughter to that cafe, his error when he introduces him to the angelic owner, and definitely his greatest mistake why Sehun couldn’t take his eyes off the handsome owner—Jeonghan.
> 
>  
> 
>  **Author's note:** My first ever fic fest entry! This fic developed a life of its own. I wish I could have added more cute dog interactions OP, but I did my best! Hope you enjoy nevertheless. And thank you to the organisers for putting together this lovely fest. No beta this time, unfortunately!

It isn’t Sehun’s fault he’s been so busy, but really, Chanyeol has absolutely no business bringing his daughter and Vivi out for cake every week. Just because he isn’t home as often doesn’t mean that his friend can take charge of his household and bring his daughter wherever he wants. He knows his kid, Hana,  is the cutest thing to have ever walked the planet (Vivi’s in second place), but Chanyeol needs to learn how to say no her. 

“ _Again?_ ” Sehun asks, leaning against the doorframe, watching his daughter put on her favorite pair of boots at the entryway. “This is the third time you’ve been to that café this month. You might get cavities at this rate.”

“I brush my teeth properly! Right, Uncle Chanyeol? Uncle Chanyeol always tells me to brush my teeth properly.”

“Mmhmm,” her Uncle Chanyeol replies, grinning at her. “That’s why you have the prettiest smile in the universe, you take good care of your teeth!” She bursts into giggles at this, and Sehun can feel his resolve weakening a little. Just a little.

“Next time,” he says as sternly as he can. “Tell me at least three business days in advance if you’re going to bring her out.”

“Sehunnie,” Chanyeol laughs. “She still loves you the most, you know.”

“I looooooove papa the most,” Hana says, stretching her arms wide. “This much.” She lessens the gap a little. “Vivi this much.” She narrows the gap further, until her hands are approximately an inch apart. “Uncle Chanyeol this much.” 

“Hey,” her uncle scowls. “If you only love Uncle Chanyeol that much, then he’s not taking you to the pet cafe any more.”

“I looooove youuuuuu,” she says, fluttering eyelashes and baby cuteness on full blast. “And Tobennie, and cake.”

Whatever, Sehun and Chanyeol fall for it anyway.

“Okaaaay,” Chanyeol relents, drawing out syllables the way Hana does. “We’re gonna get cake and that juice you like.”

“Yay!”

“Don’t spoil her too much,” Sehun frowns, as if he isn’t guilty of this himself. He walks closer to the entryway so he can bid them goodbye. “Hana, let’s go out for dinner later, okay? Take care of Vivi, you know how he is around crowds.”

“Mmkay,” she hums, before jumping into his arms to give him a kiss. “Don’t worry papa, Vivi likes it there. Uncle Chanyeol buys him carrot muffins.”

“ _Carrot muffins_.”

“It’s a pet café, it has pet-friendly food,” Chanyeol shrugs. “Hey, don’t worry. You trust me, right?”

Sehun does. He’s known him long enough after all. He lets out a sigh, kisses the crown of his daughter’s head, and waves goodbye as they walk out the door.

“Be back by five!”

“Did fatherhood change you too much? Don't worry, we'll be fine!”

"She's just a baby!"

"I'm a little girl already!"

Vivi and Toben bark from their places in Chanyeol's Uncle Car as if to tell them to shut up.

“Bye!” Hana waves after Chanyeol safely buckles her into her car seat. “See you later papa!”

Sehun just waves back quietly, watching the back of Chanyeol’s car as he drives away. He lets out a quiet yawn, before shutting the door and heading back into the house. It’s fine, he’s been assigned a lot of flights lately, so he’s feeling a little tired. He’d love to spend time with his kid at this pet café (sort of), but they all know that right now what he needs is a nice, long nap.


	2. these days

“Welcome!”

It’s Hana’s favorite waiter, Soonyoung (though Hana, upon their first meeting, had commented that he had seemed like a Hoshi and it’s stuck ever since), that greets them today at the Carat Pet Café. She bounds up to him and gives him a tight hug, which he returns with ten times the gusto. Hana bursts into giggles.

“Yo,” Chanyeol, Toben and Vivi’s leashes in hand, greets Jihoon, who’s behind the counter. “We’re back!”

“Welcome back,” Jihoon says calmly, as he always does. He’s carefully wiping down some of their mugs, humming to a song Chanyeol’s never heard before. “The usual?”

“I can’t believe we’re here enough for us to have a usual,” the taller man laughs. “Yeah, yeah we’ll get that. How’s business?”

“Fine,” is Jihoon’s succinct reply, and somehow the single word reveals everything Chanyeol needs to know. “Jeonghan’s arriving a little later, with Mingyu and Wonwoo. They’re gonna set up the new fence after Monggu had too much fun with the last one.”

Chanyeol remembers this, of course. It was that time they went with Jongin and his three dogs. It was a terrible idea to bring five dogs all at once when they were only two adults and one child, but it was fun anyway. Hana had fun, at least. That’s what’s important. 

“Sorry about that,” he replies sheepishly. “We’ve paid you for that already, right?”

“Yeah,” Jihoon says. “No worries.”

“Jeonghan,” Hana pipes up from the table where she’s seated herself at. “Uncle Jeonghan’s gonna be here today!?”

“Yeah!” Soonyoung smiles brightly at her. “And he’s gonna bring your handsome big brothers Mingyu and Wonwoo.” 

“But you’re my favorite handsome big brother prince Hoshi,” she pouts, and he can’t help but coo. “But I love Uncle Jeonghan the most. I’m gonna marry him.”

“Papa’s not gonna be happy to hear that,” Chanyeol snickers. “Though it’s what he deserves.”

“Papa works hard for me and Vivi,” she says. “I need to grow up soon so it’s easier for him.”

“Are you really like, five?” Chan says as he enters through the kitchen doors. “When I was your age, I was dancing at birthday parties. For fun.”

“Hana’s a genius,” Chanyeol sniffs. 

It’s at this point Jeonghan enters through the front door, Mingyu and Wonwoo following closely behind him with the new fence in their hands. Jeonghan’s eyes widen when he sees Hana at her usual spot, and he beams at her.

“Hana,” he smiles, and she launches herself at him.

“Uncle Jeonghan, I’ve missed you!”

“It’s only been a week,” Chan groans.

“She’s five, a week is forever to her,” Mingyu explains as he helps set the fence down. “Aren’t you five?”

Chan huffs.

“I’ve missed you too,” Jeonghan says, ruffling her hair. She giggles, the apples of her cheeks a faint pink. “In fact, I’ve missed you so much I’ve made a new drink for you. How does that sound? Do you want it?”

“A new drink?” Her eyes are practically sparkling. “Yes!”

“Mmhmm,” he hums. “Give me a few minutes.”

“Okie dokie,” she beams. At this point Chanyeol’s seated himself at their table, having given Jihoon his own order, and they let their pets roam free in the pen while they wait for their snacks.

“I wonder what kind of drink Uncle Jeonghan prepared for you?” Chanyeol asks her once she’s on her chair. “Remember to say thank you, okay?”

“It’s probably something cute and pretty,” she sighs dreamily. “Uncle Jeonghan is good at that. He’s so talented, and, and handsome, and… beautiful.”

She has a giant crush on him and it’s the cutest thing to Chanyeol. It’s just a baby crush, so there’s no harm in indulging her a little. “You really like Uncle Jeonghan, don’t you?”

“I looooove him,” she says in sing-song. “A-and I’m gonna marry him when I grow up. Tobennie can be the ring bearer, Uncle Chanyeol!”

“Really? We’d be honored.”

Soon enough Jeonghan and Soonyoung return to their table, with drinks in hand. Chanyeol’s iced americano (Jihoon’s brew is the best he’s had in his life) with Soonyoung, and Hana’s drink with Jeonghan. It’s a cute, bubbly drink. Literally. It’s sparkling light pink at the top and a clear blue at the bottom, with pieces of what seems like cut-up fruits in the tall glass. 

“It’s called _ Pretty U _ ,” Soonyoung beams. “I named it.”

“It’s the best name!” Hana exclaims. “It’s perfect for it!”

Jeonghan turns to Chanyeol. “It’s a new menu item. Usually it has tea and sparkling candy, but Hana’s too young for caffeine, and the candy might be too much for her tongue. It’s fruit juice and soda water, no extra sugar syrup or anything.”

Despite Jeonghan’s infamy for playing games with and pulling pranks on customers, it’s things like these that keep Hana and Chanyeol coming back. Contrary to popular belief he’s a gentle soul who knows how to deal with people very well. It’s no mystery why Hana’s extra fond of him.

“It’s soooo good!” Hana says after she takes a sip of the drink from the heart-shaped straw it came with. “Uncle Jeonghan, this is the best!”

“The best only for you,” he smiles, now behind the counter. Hana giggles again, and goes back to her drink. Chan arrives at their table a little later, plate of cupcakes in hand, and before moving to the pet pen to give Vivi and Toben their snacks. It’s a quiet afternoon, with Hana chattering on about the things that have been going on at her kindergarten (Sehun had gone to the last parent-teacher conference, and now no one will shut up about the handsome pilot–not the teachers, not her classmates, no one), and Chanyeol giving the occasional input. Soonyoung jokingly sits with them, sometimes, but Jihoon’s side eye is strong enough to kick him out of the chair without any physical prodding.

“I think,” Chanyeol rolls up his sleeves to look at the time on his expensive watch. “It’s time for us to go home.”

“Awww,” Hana pouts. “We didn’t even get to play with Vivi and Tobennie.” 

“Your papa wants you home soon,” he reasons with her. “We can always come back.”

The promise of a return has Hana beaming again. She carefully arranges her plate, fork, and glass with as much dexterity as a five year old can muster, then hops off her seat. She walks over to the counter, and upon noticing her Jeonghan moves up front and kneels to keep her at eye-level.

“See you next time,” he smiles gently. 

“I’ll miss you,” she frowns. She fiddles with the hem of her dress and Jeonghan laughs a little.

“Come visit with your beloved papa next time,” he says.

“I will,” she replies. She looks up at him bashfully and he lets out another laugh, reaching to pet the top of her head. A few seconds later Chanyeol is near them, both of the dogs with him, ready to head home. Jeonghan stands and waves at them good-bye, while Wonwoo holds the door open for the pair.

“She’s so cute,” Jeonghan says once they’ve left. “Adorable.”

“She’s funny,” Chan admits. “Especially since she’s just a baby.”

“You’re a baby,” Soonyoung shoots from across the cafe.

“Whose baby are you?” Jeonghan quips, and they all laugh when Chan begins to whine.


	3. turn back

It’s all Chanyeol’s fault.

“What is that?” Sehun asks his daughter, peering over her shoulder, Vivi cradled in his arms. She’s at her tiny desk, scattered with her numerous art materials.

She turns around to look at him, beaming. The paper she’s holding is folded with great care, and she opens it proudly when her papa asks. It’s some crayon scribbles of what seems like… two people (one of them being her, of course), and a house, and what he’s totally sure is Vivi. Plus some other stuff. He doesn’t know what those lines are, but he knows that his daughter’s an artistic genius. 

“It’s the café owner! I’m gonna give this to him as a present,” she says in sing-song. “He’s super handsome, papa! You should come with me sometime!”

Hana’s been trying to get her to go with her non-stop within the past four-odd days, but for the most part he’s just been so tired that he spent most of his time at home. Sure, he played with her and Vivi a lot, but somehow she just won’t let the matter of the café rest.

“I don’t know…” He really does want to go, especially if it makes her happy, but he’s not sure if he wants to meet the person who’s been stealing his daughter’s affection. 

“You need to go, papa! You need to give us your blessing,” she hums. “For marriage.”

“Who taught you that term?” he asks with an eyebrow raised. “And you’re not getting married until you’re at least sixty.”

Hana doesn’t answer him, instead humming as she carefully re-folds her drawing.

“Do you want to go to the park with papa? We can walk Vivi,” he attempts to coax her into dropping the topic.

“That’s okay,” she continues humming. “I wanna stay home and draw more pictures.”

He raises his eyebrows in disbelief.

In summary, Sehun’s daughter is more interested in hanging out with some pet café owner he doesn’t know (and by extension someone he deems unsafe) than she is with himself, and in the wise words of his friends, it’s all Chanyeol’s fault. 

“But papa wants to spend time with you,” he says, and is he really arguing with his five year old? Maybe a little, but he also really wants to spend time with her. 

She looks at him from the corner of her eye with a slight pout, a look she had inherited from him. “Welllllll,” she says, drawing out the syllables. “Welllllll… if you promise to go with me to the pet café next week, maybe we could take Vivi for a walk…”

“...”

“Papa…”

“Who taught you this kind of thing?” 

“Uncle Chanyeol,” she says, shifting her eyes. “But it was my idea!”

“... You know what, okay,” he puts their dog down and raises both his hands in surrender. “Okay. We can go next week.”

“Really!?” She’s out of her seat now, eyes sparkling. Vivi snuggles against her leg contentedly. “You promise, papa? Promise?”

“Yes, yes,” he gets down on one knee, and raises his pinky. “Pinky promise.” She hooks her finger around his and shrieks in glee.

  
… It’s all Chanyeol’s fault. 


	4. flip

Hana does go with him to take Vivi on a walk. Something about her chatter, no matter how trivial it may seem to others, makes him swell with pride and happiness. She’s his pride and happiness. 

It’s the crisp beginnings of fall so they’re safely tucked into their matching coats, necks wrapped in light scarves he had bought as souvenirs from one trip. Even Vivi has a sweater on, a soft pink that Hana had picked herself. Sehun thinks it’s a little bright for the season, but it doesn’t matter. It’s perfect nevertheless.

They’re about halfway through the park when Sehun spots a familiar back.

“Hana, you remember Uncle Johnny, right?” Sehun asks her. Hana is carrying Vivi now, the pup a little tired from bouncing around on his walk. Hana looks at him, bottom lip jutting out, deep in thought.

“Yes!” she finally exclaims after a few seconds. “I remember him!”

He gestures to the figure with short hair close by. “Let’s go say hello. You wanna surprise him?”

“Yeah! she cheers. She gives Vivi and his leash to her father before bounding up to her uncle, ready to greet with all her might, when the man turns around.

Uh, it’s not Uncle Johnny.

“Uncle Jeonghan!” Hana shrieks, launching herself at him. He catches her in time, lifting her up and swinging her around gently, laughing. 

_ It’s a nice laugh _ , is what Oh Sehun would think if he wasn’t so apprehensive. 

“It’s Uncle Jeonghan from the pet café, papa,” Hana says before Sehun can even open his mouth. The grin on her face is so wide it looks like it’s about to leap off. The stranger just smiles at her before kneeling to keep Hana at eye-level.

“Hana,” he—Jeonghan, as Sehun now knows, his name clean and bright-sounding, the syllables roll around his mouth easily—says quietly, gently, in the kind of tone that babies like. “I think you gave your papa a scare.”

Hana’s eyes flit from his face to her father’s, then she lets out a small gasp. “Oh no!” she says. “Oh no, oh no! Papa, I’m sorry! I just got so excited!” Jeonghan lets her go and she runs back to her father, giving him several hugs to console him. Vivi nudges her ankle with his snout, as if to welcome her back, before trotting over to Jeonghan to say hello. 

“Hi, Vivi,” he greets, scratching behind the dog’s ears. Vivi lets out a content puppy sound, and Sehun raises his eyebrows. Not just his daughter, but his dog too? “How are you?” Vivi yaps happily, then rolls onto his back to offer up his belly for some rubs. Jeonghan’s gentle laugh rings through Sehun’s ears as the former obliges. 

“Papa,” Hana murmurs into his pant leg. “Papa, I’m gonna marry him when I grow up.”

Sehun just pats her head, and it’s that moment Jeonghan chooses to stand up, dust off his coat, and extend a hand. “Sorry I didn’t introduce myself,” he smiles. “I’m Yoon Jeonghan, I own the cafe Chanyeol—I assume you know him, I’d be worried if you didn’t–and your daughter frequent.”

“Oh Sehun,” is all the taller man says, gripping his hand in return. Sehun applies right amount of pressure to intimidate but not scare, something he’s practiced–but if it works he doesn’t know, because the expression on Jeonghan’s face doesn’t change. “Nice to meet you.”

The smile on the other man’s face is pleasant, but there’s something about it that bothers Sehun. 

“Thank you for taking care of my daughter,” he says. “She says she’s been having fun. She talks about you all the time.”

For a split second Sehun thinks he sees the expression on Jeonghan’s face change, but when he blinks it’s the same as it was before, so he chalks it up to his lack of sleep. “That’s funny,” Jeonghan smiles. “Every time she visits, she can’t stop talking about you, and how much she loves you.”

“I love you the most, papa,” Hana says, continuing to rub her face against his clothes. “I wanna play with you and Vivi at the cafe because I love you so much.”

His kid’s such a ham. 

“We have an acoustic night once a month,” Jeonghan continues smoothly. “Like an open mic. It’s next week. You can come by, if you want.”

“Yes!” Hana whips her head around, eyes sparkling. “Yes, we’ll go!”

Sehun  _ did _ promise her that they would, and Sehun’s a man that honors his word. “Yeah,” he says. “We’ll be there. Thank you for the invite.”

“I’ll see you then!” Jeonghan’s teeth are really, really nice. “I’m sorry I have to cut this short, but I’m in the middle of an errand for the cafe. It was nice meeting you. Hana, I’ll see you next time!”

“I’ll miss you,” she wibbles, and because of this Sehun reckons that she needs to spend less time with her Uncle Baekhyun. 

“I’ll miss you too,” Jeonghan laughs, bending down to give her a hug when she leaps towards him once again. “See you!”

She gives him a kiss on the cheek and it takes Sehun all the power in his body to restrain himself from grabbing her from the man, but Jeonghan simply ruffles her hair, bows, then walks away while waving. 

“Did you like him?” Hana asks once she’s tucked into her car seat. Sehun hums quietly, buckling her in, and she looks at him full of thought. “Papa, did you like him?”

“I guess,” Sehun finally replies once he’s behind the driver’s seat. He can’t lie to his kid. “I suppose so.”

Hana’s already fallen asleep.


	5. another cup of coffee

Sehun finally steps foot in the Carat Café the next Saturday, for acoustic night. Hana had taken it upon herself to remind him everyday of their promise and of Jeonghan’s invitation. It was kind of cute, seeing her so excited for the event, so he’d just smile in response.

The first thing that he spots as soon as he enters the café is a sign that says “ _ Singing Maroon 5’s Sunday Morning at Acoustic Night is Prohibited _ .”

It must have been the same thing the guy behind him had read too, because he lets out a “Dude!” before laughing. “I can’t believe you guys! Where’s Jeonghan?”

“It wasn’t Jeonghan,” one of the staff members replies.

“You’ve sang it at five acoustic nights straight,” another man, this one behind the counter, says, blank-faced but nevertheless looking fairly tired. “It had to stop eventually.”

“Yeah, go play your slow jams somewhere else.”

The man laughs again then  finally makes his way into the store and exchanges (sometimes ignored) high fives and fist bumps with the people in uniform.  _ Okay _ , Sehun checks ‘friendly staff’ off his mental check list.

The place is clean, with warm, cozy lighting. There’s a separate space for animals to play in, complete with a fence, various toys, and cushions, all by the store’s large windows. The café area itself is nice, there’s a counter with barstools. Normal chairs, some couches, and a few armchairs that look soft enough to nap on. There’s a small stage in the corner, set up for acoustic night.

_ Nice place _ , Sehun checks off. 

Hana lets go of his hand, picking Vivi up to put him in the playpen, before bouncing over to a man with round cheeks and upturned eyes. She leaps into his arms and wraps her arms around his neck, enveloping him in the biggest hug her tiny self can muster.

“Hoshiiiiii,” she squeals. “I brought my papa today!” 

“Oh, not Uncle Chanyeol?” The man places his hand above his eyes like a visor, before surveying the area. “Wow, Hana, your papa is handsome!” Sehun doesn’t meet his gaze.

“Papa is the most handsome,” she says proudly. “Everyone at school agrees! Come meet my papa, Hoshi!”

“Wahhhh,” the man called Hoshi says. “I’m shy.”

“They say it’s not good to lie, big brother Hoshi,” Hana says with a blandness that she could have only inherited from her Uncle Kyungsoo. “C’moooon. I want you to meet papa.”

“Oh okay,” the man says, allowing himself to be led to Sehun.

“Hoshi, this is my papa,” Hana says, raising Hoshi’s arm above her head. “Papa, this is Hoshi. He’s my favorite.”

“My name’s actually Soonyoung,” the man says, sticking his hand out for a handshake. “Jeonghan–he’s the owner–is her real favorite.”

“We’ve uh, met,” Sehun says, giving him a firm handshake. “Nice to meet you.”

“You’re really handsome,” Soonyoung smiles—and Sehun is take aback by this comment—before bowing and turning to Hana. “I need to get back to work! Will you show your papa around?”

“Uh-huh. I’m gonna introduce him to everyone!”

And Hana does just that. Aside from sunny Soonyoung there’s Chanyeol’s somewhat intimidating friend and the café’s manager, Jihoon, a pair of tall men named Mingyu and Wonwoo, part-timers Hansol And Chan, and the man who had complained about the No Sunday Morning Rule is Joshua. Sehun knows that she comes here too much with Chanyeol because she even introduces him to the regulars—a fashion designer named Minghao, Seokmin who works at the local florists’, Seungcheol from the fire department, volleyball sports anchor Seungkwan, and—to his surprise—Hana’s favorite masked rider actor, Junhui.

The bell by the door rings as another patron enters, and Sehun doesn’t have to turn around to know who it is, because Hana lets out a loud cry of “Uncle Chanyeol!” before running towards the taller man. 

“Hey,” he greets, and Toben gives Hana a sloppy kiss, making her burst into giggles.

“I didn’t know you were coming,” Sehun says, but he’s relieved he has someone he knows well to hang out with. “Hi, Toben.” 

“I promised Hana,” Chanyeol replies sheepishly, patting his guitar case, and Sehun completely understands. 

“Uncle Chanyeol, I’ll put Tobennie in the playpen with Vivi,” Hana offers. He bends down to hand her his pup, ruffling her hair once Toben’s in her hands. Hana lets out another set of giggles before carefully walking towards the pen again, letting Toben down gently, and petting Vivi when he pads over to say hello.

Chanyeol pulls the sleeve of his sweater up to check the time, then turns to Sehun. “Do you wanna sit? Acoustic night’s gonna start soon.”

“Have you been to one before?” Sehun asks, pulling out chairs for both him and Hana. Chanyeol shakes his head, but smiles nonetheless.

“Nope, but I’ve heard it’s fun. Jihoon asked me if I wanted to perform and,” he looks a little bashful, “Well, I guess I am, later.” 

Sehun just smiles and nods. Chanyeol isn’t a renowned music producer for nothing, after all. It’s then Hana arrives, all grins and rosy cheeks. 

“Papa, can we get Vivi the carrot muffin? It’s his favorite!”

“You mentioned that before,” Sehun remembers. “Of course we can.”

“Yay!”

“Jihoon makes a mean Americano,” Chanyeol tells him as Wonwoo walks over to give them menus. “Thanks!”

“Mmhmm,” Sehun hums. “I’ll probably get an iced americano then. Hana, what do you want?”

She climbs onto her chair, brows furrowed deep in thought, bottom lip jutting out slightly.

“She looks just like you when she makes that face, Mr. Oh,” a familiar voice cuts in, sending tingles down Sehun’s spine. He turns his head to look at Jeonghan, who moves to shake his and Chanyeol’s hands before continuing to talk. “I’m glad you were able to make it.”

“Uncle Jeonghan!” Hana squeals, nearly falling off her chair as she goes to greet the café owner. Jeonghan lets out that laugh Sehun finds himself really liking, pinching Hana’s cheek gently in greeting.

“I have a new drink for you,” he smiles. “How about that?”

“You spoil her,” Sehun interjects, and Chanyeol nearly lets out a guffaw because they all, in fact, spoil her.

“She’s very cute,” Jeonghan says, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I can see where she gets it from.”

Before Sehun can say anything Jeonghan’s already turned around and made his way to the kitchens, but Sehun had caught a glimmer of a smile that sends his stomach in flips.

Hansol takes their orders while Hana swoons over him. “So that’s two iced americanos, two puppy muffins, and Jeonghan’s special drink for Hana, am I right?”

“Yup,” Chanyeol grins. “Thank you.”

Hansol shoots them a smile that has Hana cooing again, and Sehun furrows his eyebrows. “Hana, I thought you wanted to marry Jeong… Jeonghan?” 

“I do,” she says, sitting up straight. “But that doesn’t mean Hansolie isn’t super handsome.”

Sometimes Sehun wonders how this child is his.

“I’m gonna go play with Vivi and Tobennie,” she announces after a few moments, climbing down her seat and towards the playpen. She nearly tumbles except Chan is there to save her, and safely walk her to the playpen. Once she’s inside with both puppies on her lap, Sehun exhales.

“That look you’re giving her,” Chanyeol says fondly, “Is the look that we shoot at you all the time.”

“What? Gross,” Sehun says with the maturity of a man in his late twenties. 

“Seems like just yesterday…”

“You’re not that much older than I am,” Sehun huffs, and Chanyeol laughs, because he’s the spitting image of his daughter.

“How do you like it? The café, I mean,” the older man continues.

“It’s nice. Quiet. Cozy,” Sehun says, listing off the things he’s mentally noted. “It’s… really peaceful.”

“See? It’s not bad,” and Chanyeol laughs again when Sehun shoots him a look. “But you’re right, that’s one of the reasons why we’re here so much. The food’s good, the coffee’s great, and everyone adores Hana and Vivi. It’s a nice place.” 

Sehun grumbles in agreement. 

“Jihoon—he’s actually performing later, with a bunch of the other guys—is someone I met through a mutual friend,” Chanyeol says thoughtfully. “He’s… really good at composing, producing. I asked him if he wanted to meet up about that and he told me he helped manage a café and that we could meet there. Jeonghan’s honestly kind of a mystery to me though, but he’s nice. You’ll like him.”

“I don’t know,” Sehun says, fiddling with his fingers. “I don’t know.”

Chanyeol just smiles mysteriously, and Mingyu arrives with their drinks. Sehun spots Hana’s right away—it’s in a cute, star shaped mug. It’s some kind of hot chocolate drink with star shaped marshmallows and what looks like edible glitter, and he can tell that she’ll love it. Mingyu fumbles a little while handling their coffees, but he’s very particular about who gets what.

“Jeonghan brewed it especially for you,” he tells Sehun, before turning to Chanyeol. “And that’s your regular from Jihoon.”

“Thanks,” Chanyeol smiles. Mingyu bows slightly, before walking away.

Sehun takes a sip from his glass and blinks slowly. It is good coffee. The liquid goes down smoothly with no sourness nor bitterness. A robust, rounded flavor that relaxes his senses. Huh. Jeonghan doesn’t own the store for nothing.

“Hits the spot,” Chanyeol hums, taking a sip of his own coffee, and Sehun can only nod.

Seungkwan calls for everyone’s attention, acting as the event’s MC, and calls on the owner and manager to say a few words. Jihoon’s speech is short and simple (“...Thank you for coming, hope you enjoy it.”), while Jeonghan gives a brief history of the café’s acoustic tradition. Animals like music, he says, and Sehun doesn’t know if that’s true or not but what he does know is that the other man has just sent him a wink.

“Did he just wink at you?”

“...”

The setup has a live band and everything. Seokmin sings the first song, a slow, soulful ballad that shows off his range and technique. Seungkwan goes next in the same vein, and his tone is gorgeous, and has Chanyeol closing his eyes and swaying to the beat. After the applause Seungkwan laughs a little, looking a little bashful, before going back to his job of hosting the event.

“The next one’s… a little special,” he smiles. “Jihoon, Jeonghan, Joshua, Seokmin and I are going to perform something called ‘ _ Adore U _ ’, which Joshua arranged especially for tonight. It’s great! And sounds nothing like Sunday Morning.”

“Dude!” Joshua laughs from where he’s standing off to the side, and Seungkwan just rolls his eyes.

It starts with a guy on the cajón and some jazz chords, and it’s a beat that’s easy to clap along to. There are some whoops and whallops from the regulars and spectators which causes several people (performers excluded, though they have amused smiles on their faces) to burst into laughter. It livens up the café atmosphere substantially–Chan and Soonyoung are dancing, and at the corner of his eye Sehun can see Hana burst into giggles at this–everyone is happy, including the pets.

Except Jeonghan sings _Why are you keeping a front?_ while looking straight into his eyes and Sehun finds that he can’t change his own line of sight. The group’s voices blending perfectly at _You_ _are my angel_ while Jeonghan keeps his gaze steady on Sehun, singing _I want to know all of you_. He really wants to look at anything but Jeonghan, feeling heat creep up his spine, but there’s just something so magnetic about the other man that he’s just left awestruck, jaw dropped, coffee cup in hand. 

“Your face,” Chanyeol laughs when the applause dies down. “You should have seen your face.”

“It’s a handsome face!” Hana exclaims as she toddles over to them, ready for her drink. 

“Your drink’s gone cold,” Sehun scolds. “You left for too long.”

She frowns a little but Jeonghan swoops in to save the day, so she’s back to her wide-cheeked grin. “Hello,” he smiles at them, then pets Hana’s head. “Do you want me to warm this up for you?” 

Sehun almost laughs at his daughter’s facial expression because it’s clear that she wants him to, but she also wants to impress him with her maturity and self-control. Her bottom lip quivers and even Chanyeol’s doing his best to rein in his laughter. (And Chanyeol can barely contain his reactions, most of the time.)

“Please warm it for her,” Sehun finally says, and he lets a chuckle escape when Hana visibly relaxes. “It’s… very cute.”

“What’s it called, Uncle Jeonghan?”

“ _ Campfire _ ,” he replies simply. “Gooey marshmallows and hot chocolate, like s'mores around the campfire. I’m glad you think it’s cute. It  _ was _ created with Hana in mind, after all.”

Hana erupts into more giggles, and Jeonghan pets her hair fondly again. “I’ll go warm this up. Hope you’re enjoying it so far,” he says with a smile Sehun can’t decipher, then bows slightly before excusing himself to heat her drink.

“Papa,” Hana sighs dreamily. “I love him.”

“Mm.”


	6. good night

“Did you have fun, papa?” Hana asks when she’s in bed with her favorite plush toy. Sehun caresses her forehead with his thumb then lets out a sigh. Vivi lets out a grunt in his sleep, in his puppy bed a few feet away from them.

“Did _you_ have fun?” he asks her in return, and she lets out a few soft giggles.

“Papa, you’re funny! I asked you first,” she scrunches her nose in thought, “But I did have fun! Everyone was really good, and, and I’m glad you were there with me! I’ve always wanted to go with you!”

“Aww,” he coos, kissing her forehead. “Here I thought you were going to replace papa with Mr. Jeonghan.”

“ _Uncle_ Jeonghan,” she corrects. “I’m marrying him, but you’re my only papa.”

“I better be,” he scowls, but her laughter has his eyes in upturned crescents soon enough.

“Do you wanna go again sometime?” she asks hopefully, and it makes Sehun freeze.

The Jeonghan person seemed nice enough at first but just… something about him unsettles Sehun. He doesn’t exactly trust him with his dog and daughter, and he’s not sure if he ever wants to see him again.

Except Hana’s the light of his life and she’s giving him that look that always works.

“Okay.”

He supposes he did have fun, after all.


	7. nanounits

The next time Sehun goes to the café is a weekend, on a scheduled day-off with Hana. He doesn’t have Chanyeol with him this time to help jumpstart conversations, but despite the rambunctiousness from his previous visit, the café staff is quiet today, greeting him pleasantly but respecting his personal space.

He stays with his daughter in the playpen this time, and Vivi settles on his lap comfortably after snacking on his favorite carrot peanut butter muffins. Hana tells him about things at kindergarten, the cute kids in other classes, learning how to count, and he couldn’t be prouder of her.

A little later Junhui arrives with his husky. He gives Hana a giant hug, which she returns, and she embraces the dog with happiness. Vivi, normally shy around strangers and other dogs, cuddles up with the husky right away, and they chase each other’s tails. He and the little girl talk animatedly about the latest episode of Junhui’s show, reenacting some scenes, and even doing the transformation pose together. Sehun takes a few photos and videos to send to his daughter’s uncles, laughing at the pair’s silliness. 

But of course Jeonghan passes by, with a new strawberry drink for Hana. It’s something akin to a milkshake, with star-shaped sparkles and cut up strawberries on top of a pink and cream swirled drink. The straw is heart-shaped, and so are Hana’s eyes.

“Thank you Uncle Jeonghan!” she exclaims gleefully before digging in. Jeonghan gives Junhui his usual, then passes along an iced americano for Sehun, complete with a wink.

“Smells nice, strawberries with flowers?” Sehun points to Hana’s drink. “It’s… cute.”

“Uh, strawberries with flowers,” Junhui stutters a little. “That’s… Jeonghan’s conditioner you’re smelling, actually.”

Jeonghan just smiles mysteriously while Sehun looks at the trees swaying outside the window.   
  


–-

 

“You know, Jeonghan,” Seungcheol says during another visit, swirling his coffee. “He’s a little shy.”

Sehun doesn’t know why the firefighter is talking to him, but shrugs anyway.  Seungcheol had brought his golden retriever this time, and the large dog is taking a nap in the playpen, Vivi curled up on top of him. Hana’s seated in between them at the counter, spinning around in her seat at a speed Sehun had deemed safe.

“But he’s nice,” Joshua says from behind said counter, wiping down some glasses. “One of the best friends a person could have, really.”

“You can only say that because you’re birds of the same feather,” Chan says as he exits the kitchen with a tray balanced on one hand. “Don’t listen to them, Mr. Oh.”

  
“I think Uncle Jeonghan is super nice,” Hana pipes in, and Sehun has to swoop in to wipe some cream off her chin. “I love him.”

“He only jokes with you because he’s fond of you,” Seungcheol tells Chan in between bites of his macaron. When he thinks Sehun isn’t looking, he sneaks one piece to Hana. Sehun catches it anyway at the corner of his eye, but lets it slide. “It’s the way he shows affection.”

“Well why doesn’t he prank Mr. O—” Chan’s eyes widen, and his jaw drops a bit. “Mr. Orange. That’s Seungkwan’s dog, named after some plants his family grows at home.”

“He’s a mystery,” Hansol pipes in, coming back to relay orders, and if he hears Chan’s scoff of “Speak for yourself!” it doesn’t show. “But he’s really nice. When we… when we have troubles and stuff, he’s always the first person to ask us how we’re doing, or what’s wrong.”

“He’s a great listener,” Seungcheol hums. “Shua’s telling the truth. He’s really one of the best friends a person could have. It’s easier for him to get close to someone they approach him first.”

“... Why are you telling me this?” Sehun asks after a few beats of silence, beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable, shifting in his seat.

“Because you won’t let me marry him,” Hana pouts, and at this everyone lets out a few chuckles.

“You seem… weirdly suspicious of him,” Jihoon says, bringing a drink order forward for one of the waiters to deliver. “And that’s coming from me.”

“I… I’m not,” Sehun replies quietly.

Seungcheol just gives him a knowing look, and Sehun goes back to his coffee. In the back, from the kitchens, he can hear the clang of metal along with Mingyu’s surprised yelp, and that brings him back down to earth somehow.

 

—

 

The next visit Sehun goes alone, because his free day is on a weekday this time. He had thought about going to several cafés in the city, but he doesn’t know anywhere else that will allow him to bring his dog along. (And, he maybe sort of begrudgingly admits that they have the best iced americanos he’s had in his entire life.) He takes Vivi for a walk in the morning during his morning jog, goes home to shower, then walks his dog to the café.

It’s definitely quieter on weekdays, if only because people don’t bring their dogs as much, instead coming to work or study. It’s nearly closing so it doesn’t take him long to find a chair. When he sets Vivi down he makes a beeline towards his desired spot. He seats himself in one of the armchairs in a corner, slings one leg over the over, and watches Vivi play with another dog inside the pen. It’s Chan who takes his order (“The small noisy child isn’t with you,” he says, before Mingyu pipes in with “Are you sure you aren’t talking about yourself?”), and he gets his usual (it’s his fourth visit but it’s his  _ usual _ , Sehun can’t believe this), a sandwich for lunch, and some peanut butter banana treats for Vivi. 

His eyes scan his tablet screen, checking his flight schedule for the next few months. Mostly short haul, as he’d requested, so he can spend more time with his daughter, but there are a few long haul flights–he narrows his eyes at the one that has him leaving for two weeks, though he knows these arrangements pay well.

Sehun yawns, pinches the bridge of his nose, then lets out a sigh. He doesn’t want to miss any more of Hana’s formative years, but–

“Penny for your thoughts?”

It’s Jeonghan who serves him his coffee and food, and it takes Sehun a few seconds of blinking to realize this.

“Sorry, did I startle you? You looked troubled.”

Sehun almost wants to argue that his face always looks like this, but he’s not exactly in the mood to answer someone he practically considers a stranger. He lets out another smile and a tight-lipped smile, unsure how to reply. “Just thinking about work,” he says after a few seconds of surprisingly comfortable silence. “It’s… okay.”

“Hana,” Jeonghan starts, “Whenever she comes by, she talks about how much she loves you.”

Sehun nods, he was told this previously.

“She says she’s proud of you and your work,” he hums, “And she wouldn’t want you any other way. She’s very mature for her age, you’ve raised her well, Mr. Oh.”

Sehun’s gaze shifts from the coffee cup he’s nursing in his hands to the other man’s face. “Thank you,” he says.

“She’s very charming,” Jeonghan continues. “She approached me first. She always lights up the place whenever she’s around. She’s difficult not to get attached to.” He glances at his watch, then looks up at Sehun and bows. “Sorry, I have to go back to work. Enjoy your stay!” Jeonghan smiles at him, this time with teeth, and a scrunched nose. A smile that takes up his whole face and radiates throughout the whole store.

Sehun shakes his head and tries to get back to work.

He finishes arranging his schedule and making flight preparations after an hour or so, and it’s that time Wonwoo approaches him to tell him that they’re closing. Sehun only nods and gets ready to pack up, but Chan pulls him to the side.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he says. “But uh… Jeonghan, he closes up shop almost every day.”

“I’d hope so,” Sehun says with an eyebrow raised. “He’s the owner after all.”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t own a car,” Chan says. “I mean, neither do I, but even though we commute home he always heads home the latest. Uh, I’ll give you two free coffees if you take home. Or at least walk him to the bus stop. Please, Mr. Oh.”

“Who put you up to this?”

Chan shifts his gaze before whispering, “Your giant friend.”

Of course Chanyeol would.

He excuses himself, carries Vivi into his car, and despite his brain yelling at him to go straight home he finds himself standing by the café’s back entrance, waiting for the other man to finish closing up shop. The crisp fall air blows against his face, but somehow the image of that smile from earlier provides him with all the warmth he needs.

Jeonghan finishes soon enough, and is surprised by Sehun’s presence. “Mr. Oh,” he says, running a hand through his soft-looking hair. “What are you doing here?”

“I was ordered to walk you to the bus stop,” he grumbles a little.

“It’s fine,” Jeonghan laughs. “I’m a grown man, after all.”

“I don’t know if Chanyeol thinks of you as one,” Sehun says quietly. “C’mon, let’s go home.”

They don’t say much while they walk to the bus stop. It’s near the café, after all, and Sehun compliments the strategic location. Otherwise the silence is comfortable, and despite the cold weather Sehun is warm and fuzzy inside for some reason.

“Uh, see you next time,” Sehun says as Jeonghan boards the bus.

The other man just turns his head, looks at him, and gives him a smile that stays in his dreams for weeks.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


(“I can’t BELIEVE you would go there without me,” his daughter whines that evening, over dinner. “Did Uncle Jeonghan talk about me? Did he talk about me, papa?”

“I don’t know,” Sehun says, taking a bite of his rice. “Maybe you can ask him next time.”

“Papaaaaa.”)


	8. all i think about (is you)

Sehun can barely believe it, but at this point he, Hana, and Vivi are all regulars at the Carat Pet Café. Jeonghan makes sure that the variants of the cute drinks on the menu are adjusted for Hana, so that they aren’t too sweet or unhealthy. He also always takes care of Sehun’s coffee whenever he’s around, but when he’s out on an errand for the store, Sehun finds himself opting for tea or whatever else, because the coffee just… doesn’t taste the same, somehow. Vivi’s tasted all the puppy food on the menu, and the memory of Hana trying to taste one of his snacks never fails to bring a smile to Sehun’s face.

It’s acoustic night again, and the “ _Singing Maroon 5’s Sunday Morning at Acoustic Night is Prohibited._ ” sign is still up. Chanyeol says he’s going to follow because work is running late, but thankfully isn’t as awkward at the café alone any more. (“Is Uncle Chanyeol gonna sing _Creep_ again?” Hana scrunches her nose. “I’m tired of it. Oops! Don’t tell him that papa! It’s a secret!”)

Soonyoung hosts the event and has everyone excited and energetic in a matter of seconds. Unlike the previous acoustic night, which started with slow songs and ballads, this night starts with a number from the noisy BooSeokSoon trio, which has everyone out of their seats and dancing. Some college kids and a few local bands play. There’s a cute mother-son pair that sings together, performing a song the kid had learned at his kindergarten recently.

(“Hana, do you wanna perform with your papa?” Soonyoung asks her from the sidelines. “Papa and Vivi?”

She stares at her feet, looking bashful. “I’m shy,” she says.

Sehun makes a face that makes her cry out, “Papa!”)

“We’re a café, so what could be more perfect for this than a coffee-themed love song? Next up are café owner and resident angel Yoon Jeonghan and rap god Hong Jisoo, with _Falling for U_!”

“I don’t rap in this,” Joshua speaks into the mic, sitting on the stool, trusty guitar in hand. “There’s no rap in this.”

“You could rap if you wanted to,” Jeonghan supplies, sitting on the stool next to him. “A freestyle rap to a two-line poem to the syllables of _coffee_.”

Joshua just laughs at this before beginning to strum.

“One, two, three, four!”

It’s a relaxed, mellow song that suits the café’s atmosphere and the two men’s temperament. It’s catchy and has the café patrons snapping and clapping to the beat. Something about it so gentle and warm—in fact, Sehun can see Hana’s head bob as she tries to fight her drowsiness, Vivi content to sleep on her lap. It’s the kind of song he can really imagine cafés playing during lazy days, in whatever weather. The kind people listen to while basking in the sun for a good nap. He imagines Jeonghan taking a nap by one of the café windows, but quickly shakes his head to snap himself out of it.

“ _Should I talk to you or not?_ ”

The blending is good, Jisoo’s chest tone seamlessly changing to falsetto without sounding the least bit strained. Jeonghan hits high notes with ease but Sehun is genuinely surprised at how deep it can get. Jeonghan’s voice has a sound that reverberates in his chest and has his ears feeling warm.

“ _I’m falling for you_ …”

It’s the very first time he and Jeonghan make eye contact throughout the song, and while the younger man had been smiling gently the whole time, this time his grin widens.

“Papa,” Hana whispers, as to not disturb the performance nor wake Vivi. “Your face is red!”

“Shh,” he says, and she just giggles and buries her face into his side.

_“Falling for you, it’s too late to escape…”_

The song ends a lot quicker than he’d have liked. It’s a thunderous applause that follows and the two men look shy, bowing in several different directions before leaving the small stage. Hana carefully lifts the now-awake Vivi off her lap, hands him to her father, before making a beeline towards Jeonghan.

“Uncle Jeonghan,” she swoons. “You’re so talented!”

He laughs in response, bending down to ruffle her hair as he usually does. He extends his hand for her to hold, and he walks her back to her father, listening to her ramble excitedly about how good the performance was and how she’d love to hear it again.

“Mr. Oh,” he greets. “Vivi. Hello.”

Vivi lets out a whine and Jeonghan reaches to pet him. Sehun’s eyes trail from Jeonghan’s fingertips all the way to his face, and finds that the other man is smiling at him.

“It’s nice you’ve been visiting more recently,” he tells him, before glancing at Vivi and Hana. “The staff really enjoy your presence, and everyone gets more lively when the family is around.”

“It’s true,” Mingyu chimes in, taking away some empty plates at the table next to them. “Aji really likes playing with Hana and Vivi, and she can be pretty closed off sometimes.”

“I like Aji a lot!” Hana exclaims, and Mingyu grins at her, snaggletooth and all.

“The coffee… is good,” Sehun says quietly. “The place is nice. You… um, you… you sing good.”

“Haha, I couldn’t have done it without Jisoo and Jihoon,” he replies, but he can’t seem to meet Sehun’s eyes. “I have them to thank, too.”

“I, uh,” Sehun clears his throat. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Papa, you’re so stiff,” Hana complains. “It’s just Uncle Jeonghan. Why are you so nervous?”

Jeonghan tries to stifle his laugh and Sehun opens his mouth to make a comeback, but thankfully Chanyeol arrives just in time, guitar case slung around his torso.

“Sorry I’m late, work,” he says, and Hana nearly jumps to greet him with a hug, but backs off at the last minute telling him that he’s too sweaty for her to hug at the moment. Chanyeol rolls his eyes at this before greeting the surrounding staff with high-fives and handshakes. “Chan, if Jihoon isn’t busy, I want an iced americano please.”

“I’ll tell him,” Jeonghan says, gives him a thumbs up from where he’s standing, and then excuses himself while Chanyeol settles into his seat. He lets out a few deep breaths, clearly a little winded from running, then gives Vivi a friendly pet. He turns to Sehun.

“Dude, your face is really red, what happened?”

Sehun can’t reply. Before Chanyeol has the chance to prod further, Soonyoung announces that Seokmin’s performing the _Haikyuu!!_ theme song, and that has the crowd in an uproar, safely distracting the older man from asking any questions.

Jeonghan’s laughing at the side, behind the counter once more to take care of more orders. It’s a beautiful scene with the mood lighting and the sparkling of glasses and coffee paraphernalia, a photo captured in Sehun’s mind as the world moves in slow-motion. Jeonghan turns, meets his gaze once again, and the world freezes.


	9. like caffeine

Things get a little busier for Oh Sehun after that. In between numerous flights and taking care of his daughter and dog he barely has time for anything else, and doesn’t frequent the cafè as much. At least, that’s what he tells himself. The truth is he’s been trying to to avoid the café as much as possible

“I _know you have free time today,_ ” says a text he had received from his best friend, Jongin. “ _Let’s get coffee.”_

Jongin doesn’t even drink coffee. Sehun could say no but he hasn’t seen Jongin in what feels like years, so he begrudgingly agrees to meet up. Thankfully Jongin suggests a third wave coffee shop by his workplace, because Sehun had been, for some reason, under the assumption that they would be going to the Carat Café.

“Sup,” Jongin greets when Sehun arrives, dressed in casual garb instead of his pilot uniform. “I haven’t seen you in forever.”

“It’s been two months,” Sehun tells him, giving him a look, before both of them burst into laughter. If there’s one thing Jongin’s good at its putting a Sehun at ease, and as he sits in his chair with his coffee in hand he begins to feel all the stress and tension he’s been experiencing melt away.

“How’s Hana?” Jongin asks, and Sehun places his palm against his jest in mock hurt.

“First time we’ve seen each other in how long and you ask about my daughter without asking me how I’ve been doing?”

“Yes.”

“She’s fine. Learned how to count recently, she’s been singing a lot of new songs too, saying she wants to grow up and become an idol or something.”

“Really? You know, I heard something interesting from Chanyeol, actually.”

Sehun groans. “Oh, no.”

“Oh, yes. That she wants to marry a certain café owner?”

“Have you been there?” Sehun asks. “To the Carat Café.”

“Hm? Yeah. Me, Chanyeol, and Hana went all together with the dogs. It was a disaster.”

“I remember now. Hana told me about this, Monggu broke the playpen fence or something?”

“Yeah,” Jongin cracks a smile. “It was horrifying and hilarious at the same time. The owner’s so patient, he almost didn’t make me pay him back.”

“Yeah…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“The owner,” Jongin starts. “He’s a really nice guy, Sehun. If you’re worried about Hana’s crush on him, you do realize that he treats her like he would his own child, right?”

Well, yeah. It took him a while but Sehun had definitely noticed the fatherly way the younger man dotes on his daughter.

“Well, yeah.”

“Then what’s wrong?” Jongin has an eyebrow raised. “He’s totally harmless.”

“I… don’t know,” Sehun admits. “Something about him is just really off-putting to me. I get this weird gut feeling whenever he’s around and it makes me uncomfortable.”

There’s a look that crosses Jongin’s face that Sehun has never seen before.

“Oh Sehun,” Jongin says, as if this is the thing he’s most certain of in the universe. “You’re in love.”

“Impossible,” Sehun scoffs. “I barely know the guy.” So what if he’s good to his daughter, smiles nice, smells nice, and makes a pleasant kind of warmth begin to blossom in Sehun’s gut. He still doesn’t know anything about him aside from the fact that he owns a pet café.

“Like that’s stopped anyone before,” the other man shrugs. “There are tons of people who’ve fallen in love at first sight. At least you’ve met Jeonghan several times.”

“...”

“I know you, Oh Sehun. Better than the back of my own hand.”

“... He’s just,” Sehun grunts. “So confusing. I don’t know if he’s flirting with me or what.”

“The mental image of you flirting is so weird.”

“ _He_ might be flirting. Not me. I’m just confused.”

“Yeah, duh,” Jongin says, as if this is the second thing he’s most certain of in the universe.

“I don’t know what I’m doing. Hana and Vivi are my priority, and I barely get to spend time with them as it is.”

“So you _want_ to get to know him, but can’t figure out how to do it.”

“Shut up.”

“I’m just saying what you said!”

“I’m just,” Sehun sighs. “I don’t want to waste my time.”

“He loves your kid and your dog. He’s loved them long before you two have even met. I don’t wanna be preachy or anything,” Jongin says cautiously. “But have you considered that maybe this would be good for you?”

“... No,” Sehun admits.

“Having uncles around us good and all, but he clearly adores her like how you adore her and it would be great for Hana to hang out with someone her papa loves. He’s nice, Sehun. You suit each other.”

Sehun lets out a groan. “You’d think it’d be Junmyeon giving me this talk, but it’s you, of all people.”

Jongin shrugs, then takes a sip of his chocolate drink. “Does it matter? Someone had to tell you eventually. He’s not a bad guy, Sehun.”

“Are you friends?”

“No, but I’m your friend,” Jongin says. “Jeonghan doesn’t even have to be present for me to tell that you like him. It’s that obvious.”

“I don’t,” Sehun gulps, “like him.”

“Whatever you say,” Jongin shakes his head then kicks his friend’s shin.


	10. hold me when i’m down

Jongin’s words ring through Sehun’s head as he prepares for his two week long trip. Hana says she’ll miss him, that she won’t cry because she’s a big girl now, but she cries for her papa anyway and crawls into his bed on the days leading up to his departure. Not that Sehun minds. As long as it’s to soothe his baby’s heart, he’s willing to do anything.

“Papa,” she murmurs, half-asleep and practically drooling on his arm. “When you come back from your trip, come with Vivi and me to the Carat Café.”

Almost anything.

He rubs her forehead gently with his thumb, humming as he waits for her to fall asleep. It’s been a while since he had met up with Jongin and he hasn’t step foot into the pet café ever since, and while he says that it’s because he’s busy the truth is that he doesn’t know what to do with his recent revelation. He’s not exactly sure he believes in what Jongin had told him but what he’s sure about is his work schedule being filled to the brim.

He packs in some last minute items, toiletries he won’t be using in the morning, a few extra pairs of socks, before tucking himself into bed and switching his bedside lamp off. The issue with his feelings (or lack thereof) for Jeonghan is one thing, but having to leave his daughter again for two weeks breaks his heart.

 

—

 

The flight is to New York, so it takes him more than half a day to get to his destination. He’s thankful for his crew and co-pilot for making the trip bearable, but long haul flights always exhaust him both physically and mentally. It’s far from his first time in the city, but there’s always something new to discover.

Though somehow, this trip is especially lonely. He has a few days of domestic flights while he’s in the city, though he has enough time to rest and relax and look for souvenirs. At least on flights all he thinks about is work, but when he’s resting all he can think about is how nice it would feel to be home, snuggled up with Hana and Vivi in his own bed. The physical distance is tough enough, but the time difference makes it all the more difficult. He can rarely catch his daughter through video call because when he’s finally free she’s either off at kindergarten or fast asleep.

Their schedules finally match on his Sunday off, and he’s thankful that he had asked his friends for the giant favor of taking care of his kid. It’s Kyungsoo who’s watching over her today, but the person who answers the call is Hana herself. She looks happy, healthy, and well-rested, and those are what are important to him.

“Hi, papa!” she says, blowing kisses to the camera, which Sehun returns. 

“How are you? Have you been good?”

“Yes,” she says in sing-song. “Vivi and I have been super good! Here, just ask Uncle Kyungsoo!”

She flips the phone around so she can show him his friend. Kyungsoo gives him a small wave, in the middle of making breakfast for the household. “She’s been well-behaved,” he smiles. 

“See,” Hana tells him. “If Uncle Kyungsoo says I’ve been good, I’ve been good! Oh, wait, here’s Vivi!”

She puts the phone down for a minute or two, giving him a good view of his kitchen ceiling. He hears a few coos of “Vivi, papa is here!” and “Good boy!” before she picks up Kyungsoo’s phone again. Vivi’s snout fills the screen.

“He knows it’s you,” she says smugly. Vivi tries to lick the screen but misses, and this causes his daughter to erupt in giggles. She puts him on the floor, and Sehun can hear his puppy begin to bark. “He’s so funny papa! Vivi and I have been having tons of fun but we… we mi… miss you.”

“Why did you hesitate?” Kyungsoo asks out-of-frame, the sound of sizzling in the background. 

“Um,” Hana looks elsewhere. “Uncle… Uncle Jeonghan said that if I missed you… I should tell you.”

Sehun raises an eyebrow. “Of course you should.”

“But… I don’t wanna make you feel worried,” she says quietly, before beginning to sniffle. “Papa, I miss you so much!” She breaks into sobs and it nearly breaks Sehun’s heart.

“You’ve done well,” Sehun hears Kyungsoo switch the stove off to pat her head, saying this soothingly. “It’s okay, Hana.” They wait for her crying to die down, and sooner than later her sobbing turns into hiccups.

“Hana,” Sehun says slowly. “Hana, it’s okay.”

She warbles into her Uncle Kyungsoo’s shirt.

“Hana, I’d be more worried if you didn’t miss me,” Sehun admits awkwardly. “I was… really worried that you were having more fun without me.”

She whips her head around with great speed and furrows her brows, the facial expression looking extra hilarious because of her swollen eyes and red nose. “I always have the most fun when I’m with you!”

Sehun really wants to laugh, but doesn’t. “I miss you so much.”

“I miss you more!”

“I miss you the most.”

“I miss you the mostest!”

“That isn’t a word,” Kyungsoo laughs, before handing Hana a soft towel to wipe her face with. “Sehunnie, I’ll finish making her breakfast, talk as much as you need.”

“Thank you,” Sehun says, and the video is back to Hana alone. She blows her nose into the towel, and does it perfectly just like he had taught her. They grow up so fast.

“Uncle Jeonghan said that I shouldn’t… shouldn’t keep secrets from you papa, so I told you I missed you,” she says in between hiccups. “So please… please don’t hate Uncle Jeonghan any more.”

“... I don’t hate him,” Sehun says.

“Why don’t we go to the Carat Café any more?”

“...” Sehun can’t lie to his kid. That’s one thing he refuses to do. “It’s… I don’t know how to act around him.”

“Like normal, papa. You’re funny and nice and handsome and great,” Hana says. “He likes you already!” 

“Really now.”

“Mmhmm,” she hums. “Uncle Jeonghan, he’s not good with people. But he’s okay with you! He likes you already, papa, all you have to do is be yourself!” He laughs, because he can’t believe he’s on the receiving end of a sermon from a five-year-old. She never fails to lift his spirits and clear his head and his heart, and all of a sudden it seems silly that he had ever tried to avoid the café in the first place.

“But I don’t want him stealing my favorite daughter,” he teases.

“You’ll always be my papa,” she sniffs. “But Uncle Chanyeol keeps telling me that you need more friends.”

“He’s not wrong,” he overhears Kyungsoo say, and Sehun nearly exits the call right then and there.

 

\--

 

The souvenirs he gets are pretty standard, a regional Starbucks mug for Chanyeol (despite what he had told Hana, landing him a spot on the timeless and universal list of  _ Top 10 Anime Betrayals _ ) and a really ugly gag gift for Jongin, for example. He gets some plush toys and books for his daughter, and a new chew toy for his dog. There’s a set of cute animal figurines he gets because they remind him of the café, and he carefully places them in his luggage.

 

Sehun smiles to himself. There are a lot of things waiting for him at home.


	11. stars shining white

It’s acoustic night again at the Carat Café, and despite having the resolve to finally visit the café after the longest time, Sehun’s schedule doesn’t leave much room for him to visit. Hana insists that he attends on acoustic night solely because that’s her favorite café event, but he thinks that it’s his favorite event too.

Acoustic night is on a Sunday this time after a few short haul flights, but Sehun’s still running a little late. Chanyeol and Jongin have gone ahead with Hana (bringing their dog total to a whopping five, pray for Jihoon’s soul) earlier on in the afternoon.

It’s almost winter, so he’s a little more bundled up than usual. The winter air is nothing compared to the fire he’s feeling in his chest as he walks briskly from the parking lot to the café entrance, a parcel tucked safely in his arms. He opens the door slowly, managing to avoid having the café bell ring upon his entrance, as to not disturb the current performers. The “ _Singing Maroon 5’s Sunday Morning at Acoustic Night is Prohibited_.” sign is still up, the setup is still the same (save for some handmade decorations—Hana had told him that there had been a ‘Painting with Pets’ activity at the café some time back), and the usual crowd is around.

He arrives just in time for Hana’s performance. She’s on the small stage, dressed in some fluffy, sparkly blue thing, with a headband that has stars sticking out of it on her head. Vivi has his sparkliest collar and plastic star shades on (Sehun doesn’t remember buying those), sitting obediently in top of a stool next to her. Behind them both is Chanyeol on the organ, with a matching pair of star sunglasses. Hana spots her father by the door and waves wildly, causing her headband to move out of place, but luckily Jeonghan is quick enough to walk onto the stage and fix it. Jeonghan takes a quick look at him and smiles briefly, before going back to his position. It’s a little cold, Sehun thinks, but he’s come this far and can’t let himself be deterred by every little thing.

“This song,” she says, clearing her her throat after MC Mingyu has introduced her. “Is dedicated to my papa, Vivi, Uncle Jeonghan, and everyone. I love you!”

Chanyeol begins to play a familiar tune, and Hana takes in a deep breath.

" _Twinkle twinkle little star_ …”

She has choreography, which Sehun can see Jongin miming and coaching from the audience. Soonyoung is dancing too, except he looks more like an octopus than he does a star. Surprisingly, Vivi barks on cue, and Sehun finds himself colored impressed. He supposes Jeonghan’s proud expression mirrors his--Hana did say that she had been practicing everywhere she went, and the café is no exception.

The nursery rhyme is short, but the café staff whoops and cheers for an encore. Hana’s already red-faced, sweating a little, but she delivers, and the crowd is in an uproar. Vivi doesn’t seem disturbed in the slightest, instead lying down on the stool he’s on, looking ready for a nap.

As soon as she’s done she curtsies with all her remaining energy, gingerly picks Vivi off the stop, and hops off to her Papa. She practically collapses in his arms and this makes Sehun laugh, so he takes Vivi from her to set the dog down, then gives her a tight hug.

“You were so good,” he coos. “That was perfect!”

“Papaaaa,” she rubs her face against his shirt, getting a bit of snot on it. “Vivi didn’t even bark during the encore.”

“That’s okay, Vivi’s just a baby. Are you a baby?”

“No,” she says with purpose. “I’m a little girl!”

She kisses his cheek and he returns it with one on her forehead. They stay like this for a while, cuddled together, before Hana tugs on his coat sleeve with one hand.

“Papa,” she says. “You still have something left to do.”

Right, Jeonghan.

Jeonghan is busy. Hana tells her father that the man isn’t performing tonight, preferring to be behind the counter whipping up order after order. He looks hard at work, sleeves rolled up, hair swept away from his forehead, looking especially handsome.

“I’ll walk with you to him, papa. Don’t worry.”

His daughter never fails to surprise him with her maturity. She grabs hold onto his hand with her tiny one, weaving through the crowd towards the counter. Chanyeol and Jongin spot them, and the two men can’t conceal their laughter. Sehun rolls his eyes. Whatever, he’ll deal with them later.

They arrive at the counter, with Sehun’s hand still in Hana’s tiny grip. His palms are sweating, but his daughter doesn’t say anything about it. She asks to be lifted onto a seat and he obliges, all the while steeling his nerves for the conversation he wishes to start.

He gulps, then clears his throat, but Jeonghan doesn’t seem to notice that he’s there. Hana rolls her eyes (Sehun needs to do less of that around her before she takes it as her own habit) before calling the café owner. “Uncle Jeonghan, papa is here!”

Jeonghan seems a little startled, but he’s not Mingyu, so he doesn’t drop what he’s holding. He smiles at Sehun pleasantly enough, finishes pouring a cup of coffee, hands it to Wonwoo, before wiping his hands against his apron.

“What can I do for you today?”

Sehun’s surprised by how businesslike his greeting is--the warmth he normally feels from Jeonghan is barely there, though he knows it’s because he’s been ignoring the other man for weeks on end, to the point that his daughter thinks he hates him. Sehun closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, then exhales.

“I’m sorry,” Sehun says frankly, and he hopes the other man feels his sincerity. “I didn’t mean to uh… ignore you all this time. I just… I’m just very shy. I’m not good with people.”

Hana snorts and this makes Jeonghan crack a smile, at least.

“Uh, if it’s okay,” Sehun’s gaze focuses on the coffee machine. “Can we… start over?”

“You _don’t_ hate me,” Jeonghan says, and Sehun nods in response. “You just didn’t know how to act around me.”

Jeonghan hums, the steamer whistles, and there’s the whir of the coffee grinder. The café’s bustling noises are but a murmur as the acoustic night calls for intermission, drowned out by the pounding in Sehun’s ears. Jeonghan really _is_ good looking, especially under the low lights, the gentle slope of his nose, the quirk of the corners his lips–

The quirk of the corners of his lips?

“Let’s see,” he places on hand on the counter and leans forward. “I’ll forgive you if you apologize again, except in a baby voice.”

From the side, Chan groans, reaching to grab an order of steamed milk. “Don’t do it Mr. Oh. You’re going to regret it for the rest of your life.”

“Shh,” Hana shushes him. “It’s okay papa!”

Sehun really, really doesn’t want to do it, but if it makes Jeonghan happy, if it makes Hana happy…

“I’m sowwy,” he says with matching arm movements. “Pwease fowgive me.”

The surrounding area bursts into laughter and Sehun hopes that his friends didn’t overhear because they would never let him live it down. Jeonghan laughs--he _really_ laughs, the kind that doesn’t make a sound because of how hard he’s laughing. He calms down after a few moments, wiping away some invisible tears from his eyes.

“Mr. Oh,” he says, wheezing. “You really didn’t have to do that.”

“I needed to show I’m sincere,” he says quietly, trying to look at anything but anyone’s faces.

“Good job, papa,” Hana says, standing on the seat. She ruffles his hair, and this makes Jeonghan laugh again.

“It’s okay,” Jeonghan says. “It’s okay!” He takes a few deep breaths, before clearing his throat and stretching out his hand. “Okay. Hi, I’m Jeonghan.”

“Sehun,” he says, holding the other man’s hand in his.

In the background, Joshua sits on stool on the the stage, and begins to hum while playing his guitar.

" _Sunday morning rain is falling_ …”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“You knoooow,” Hana draws out the syllables in her sentence as she pets Vivi, waiting for her father to come pick her up. “I think papa likes you.”

Jeonghan doesn’t stop sweeping the area by the playpen. “I know. I like your papa, too.”

“No, Uncle Jeonghan, you don’t understand! He like _likes_ you.”

“Is that a problem?” Jeonghan seems unbothered. “I like _like_ your papa.”

Hana gasps. “But we were supposed to get married, Uncle Jeonghan! … But you know what, if it makes you happy, and it makes papa happy, then I’m happy.”

“You’re very mature, young lady,” he tells her, petting her head after he sets the broom aside.

“I can’t believe I’m gonna have two papas,” she grins. “One perfect papa was good enough, but two perfect papas? Everyone’s gonna be sooooo jealous.”

In the parking lot, Oh Sehun fiddles with a promise ring in his fingers.


End file.
